Wagner James Au reports on virtual worlds, VR & Internet culture

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Ophelia's Gaze: Iris' Fashion Gift Guide for the Holidays

Exclusive to NWN, Iris Ophelia's ongoing showcase of all things stylish in SL

When it comes to gift giving, they say it's the care that went into the
selection, not the gift itself. It seems quite unsettling, then, that
gift giving in the fashion sector of SL has become dominated
by gift certificates and store cards. Yes, these things are very
convenient, but you just can’t replace the emotional value of a hand-picked
gift. To help free us from the gift card rut, I’ve found ten
gift-friendly stores to please even the pickiest person on your list. To make things even easier, I've taken pains to select items that the sellers have designated as Transferable*. (After all, the fact that most fashion designers make their wares No Transfer is what provoked the horrid explosion of impersonal gift cards in the first place.)

June Dion’s BareRose is a standard. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been compelled to mention it, for its insanely wide range of products and demographics, its dramatically low prices, or its product quality. Yet again I’m compelled to mention BareRose, since almost every single thing June sells is transferable. Whether you’re shopping for a businesswoman or a merman, you’ll find something for them here.

Blaze Columbia’s store, Blaze, is usually a pretty popular place around the holidays. In fact, it’s a staple of a well-developed formal wardrobe. Blaze specializes in some of the most beautifully feminine gowns on the grid (not to mention suits and tuxedos) that are ideal for New Year’s Eve parties and winter galas. Fashionistas are guaranteed to love these gifts.

If there’s a lady on your list who is must less inclined towards formal wear, then I might just suggest Chaospire, a store with a relatively small but ravishingly detailed inventory, created by Devyn Grimm. They are some of if not the most detailed fantasy-inspired outfits in all of Second Life. And for note, that surreal sword (by Opticon Nykvist) is also transferable. Just because you’re slaying demons doesn’t mean you can’t look amazing while you do it, right?

Winding down to the more casual part of the spectrum, we certainly can’t forget about Desert Moon Clothiers. Dragontat Zagato’s line can suit club-hopping girls or preppier ladies, not to mention his selection of men’s casualwear. WHile you’re in the neighborhood, Dragontat’s brother Zabitan Assia’s store, FORM, is also stocked with transferable items aplenty, though with an undeniably grittier vibe than DMC.

But what do you get someone who already has a full wardrobe? Some intriguing and unique body art is an option, which makes Sinjun Soyer’s Etchd a key shop to visit. Sinjun’s tattoos are transferable are some of the nicest available. Tiger markings or intricate tribal designs, even a clockwork tattoo contribute to a healthy mix of the popular and the exotic.

Leaning back towards the exotic is one of my favorite stores, run by one of my favorite designers, Siyu Suen’s Illusions. Siyu specializes in masks, and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that her masks are the best in all of Second Life. Her quick mastery of the sculpted prims has given her the ability to craft masks and other accessories like hats and flowers that are beyond compare. The real brilliance of Illusions is the vendor system, which allows the buyer to decide if they want a copyable version, or a transferable version. This system’s not exclusive to Illusions, though.

Miriel Enfield has had this system in her store, Miriel, for quite awhile. Miriel has a little bit of everything, including hair, dresses, eyes, and of course the jewelry that she is most known for. Miriel’s also an ideal option for gift-giving on a budget-- the Miriel Everyday collection is only L$25 per item, without cutting any corners on quality or style.

Another great place to find transferable jewelry is JCNY by JD Hansen. This store’s merchandise isn’t always transferable, but to help customers pick out the gifts that are, JD set up a gift wall covered in transferable items to suit a wide array of jewelry tastes. While even optional bling makes me cringe, I give JD credit for some really clever designs, and moreso for his consideration for his customers’ seasonal needs.

If your gift giving isn’t exactly platonic, Insolence would be a good place to stop by. While not all of the products at Insolence are transferable, many of the lingerie sets and shoes are. While designer camilla Yosuke has made her name with lingerie, I have to say I’m a huge fan of her shoes. Her texturing and primwork have lead to some breathtaking creations. When I went there earlier this week, I was smitten by her craftmanship again, though not on anything wearable. camilla has created and set out for sale a little makeup kit packed with powder, nail polish, pencils, brushes, and even tweezers. While none of these items have any particular use outside of looking pretty, they are both adorable and transferable, and a very unique gift idea for virtual photographers on your list.

My last recommendation is as much for a store as it is for a specific gift. A few months ago, a sweet little Japanese shop named SugarCube opened, and one of its earliest items was a pair of wooden mules with a black strap and bow. The Ketty Pumps have been giving new life and new color for the holidays, and come with a little bit of a bonus-- red velvet box with his and hers rings. That’s definitely one of the best ways to ring in the New Year.

*But before I let you out into the world to shop away the last few days before Christmas, I would really like to stress something, for the sake of your L$ and your sanity. When you are buying an item for its permissions (in other words, when you are depending on it being transferrable) always double check before you buy. If you have any doubts, look for signs about store policy in the store itself or in the designer’s profile. If you’re still not sure, send them an instant message or a notecard and ask. Most of them will have no problem answering that question, especially if it saves you both from dealing with the awkwardness of wanting to return a no-transfer item later on!

Comments

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all the standard fashionista clique members members eh?

i encourage readers to look beyond the clique and find all the other great designers out there who's work is superior so they are excluded from the clique blogs. you'll have to look hard since the new search isn't all it is cracked up to be..

Hi Ann - I think a lot of the shops mentioned on Iris' list are actually off the beaten path. This is a holiday gift giving guide - highlighting items that are transferable.

For one thing, you don't see Chaospire blogged much, nor Etchd or JCNY. I would hardly call those "standard fashionista clique members."

What are some of the stores (your quote, "who's work is superior so they are excluded from the clique blogs") you wish would be covered? That would be a great start to encourage people to explore new options - but haven't said where the gems are that aren't being covered :)

Ann, there isn't enough time to find every designer, that's why designers have to do promotional and marketing work. If designer's stuff is good try to get it in the hands of the SL press. It's not a clique, you have to work for your market share. Being a designer is not something where you can just create, and then sit back and wait for the Lindens to pour in without continuing your work with your business.

For example, Miriel Enfield is highly lauded, not because she's part of some clique, but because she:

1. Has vendors that give you the choice of transfer or copy

2. Has her very very inexpensive Miriel Everday Line

3. All her jewellery is high quality.

4. Her eyes are great and also inexpensive.

5. She has some nice Medieval style gowns and hair too.

6. And she works at promoting her business, events, freebies, contests, etc etc.

I know many many designers that make equal or better quality items than the polished big names. And they have all shared with me that the "SL Press" (fashionista bloggers) simply decline their review submissions. In other words if they (the SL Press) don't want your products to see the light of day then they are not even going to look at them. So the "SL Press" has massive potential for objectivity improvement in this regard. Then there is the new search that heavily favors those who have been in business the longest via "inbound links". New designers do not stand much of a chance.

What led to my comment, that probably came across wrong, was the last time I visited the Lumiere Mall in Webworm when I was stunned at the quality and diverse range of products offered from so many designers I have never heard of. And thats just a few. There is a lot of new talent in SL that deserves equal opportunity in the so-called SL press. New designers can't cost justify expensive classified ads and their products are unlikely to be reviewed because they are unknowns in the community. And they are unlikely to acquire enough new "inbound links" to be a blip on the new search radar. So Sl has become rather self defeating for new talent.

As for marketing and working hard to promote... there are plenty of new designers marketing and working hard. To suggest the lack of visibility of new designers means they are lazy is out of bounds given the problems of SL and searching. but you never hear about them because the SL press does not allow them any visibility nor does the new search. Perhaps there needs to be a second search that excludes anyone having been in business more than 2 years so people can get a taste for new works.

Something needs to change and really its the biased SL Press that needs to work harder to get new talent in the spotlight instead of being self serving. (I'm not dropping to the tabloid level on this topic but theres no shortage of that style drama going on in the realm of the SL press)

Because of the issues I have discussed it is not surprising the author has not heard of a lot of new talent is it? Oh well. Sl is what it is. new designers are simply out of luck. The old school crowd owns SL.

Sorry if you don't like what I had to say about it but there is a growing number of people working to expose this problem for what it is. And it is not pretty and will not be well received by the inner core who holds not only the advantage but all the cards in the deck except the jokers.